


A Surprise Return & A Surprise

by Total_whovian



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-26
Packaged: 2018-05-25 09:35:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6189337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Total_whovian/pseuds/Total_whovian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bedelia had a different reason for wanting Hannibal to leave, and 18 years later, after his supposed death, Hannibal finds out. The first scene takes place after 'Dolce' and the rest takes place after the finale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"This is where I leave you, or more accurately, where you leave me." 

She still remembered that conversation and the look of shock on his face as he left. She wanted to tell him not to go, but she couldn't take any chances. He was becoming more and more reckless, and that would not benefit her or their child. She had found out about a week ago and had waited for the perfect time to send him off. She did not want to risk him finding her getting sick in the morning, and when he almost walked in on her the day before, she knew it would have to be their last day. In her mind, his desire for Will would be greater than that of wanting to care for a child. Jack Crawford was also closing in, which meant the logical solution would be to let him go before doom consumed all three of them.

She looked down at the needle and glass vial that lay on her vanity. She knew that they were coming to talk to her, and she didn't want to be consciously aware of what was happening. All it would take is a single injection, but as an expectant mother she could not find it in herself to endanger her child in such a manner. She emptied the vial's contents into the sink, sat back in her chair, and waited for her visitors. She would just have to pretend that she had injected herself and hopefully they would fall for the farce. If everything worked out the way she wanted it to, she could play dumb enough that they would be frustrated with her and leave her to contemplate her new role. The knock at the door came, and she stood up gracefully. As she walked to the door, each step she took grew even more clumsy than the last. Dropping her eyelids and letting her body relax, she answered the door with her drugged facade in place.

A Few Months Later...

Standing in her kitchen, Bedelia looked through her fridge trying to find something to settle the rumbling in her stomach. She placed a calming hand on the growing beauty that was either her son or daughter. She had no clue what she was having, and quite frankly, she could not believe that she was becoming a mother. If she had thought that any of this was possible, she would have been more careful around Hannibal and made sure that she took care of herself more often than she did. 

After a few minutes of not finding anything, she decided to settle for cheese and crackers until it stopped raining and she could go to the store. She tried to avoid going out now a days because of her condition and the looks she received. When she ran into people that she knew, they seemed to be taken aback by her state and would bombard her with questions. She got away with saying that the father did not know of the child, but then speculation about the father only continued. Several people guessed it was a former patient’s child, which was not too far off, but others suspected that it was a random stranger's. 

Looking out her window across from the dinner table, she watched as the rain began to come down harder. The rain splattered the window hard and the sound soon turned into a dull hum in the background. It was impossible to see outside unless there was a flash of lightning, but even then it was a blur. The scenery of her property was lost behind a veil of rain, and the rest of her was trapped behind the veil with Hannibal. It was difficult to thin about the next few months and the outcome. She feared that she would have a child that only served as a reminder of its father, and as much as she was fond of Hannibal, that reminder might be the death of her. 

Hospital in Boston...

A few months after that rainy day, she gasped for breath as the nurse yelled at her to push against her latest contraction. She could feel every ounce of her strength rapidly leave her with each passing second. She knew she was close and her child was almost here, but she didn't think she could push another time. Somehow she mustered the energy and she was able to deliver her baby. She could hear the cries and couldn't help but let her tears flow too. The nurse approached with a bundle in a pink blanket and placed her in Bedelia's arms. She looked down at her baby girl and saw her blue eyes struggling to open. Her baby girl was beautiful, and Bedelia knew that she was not going to let anything happen to her. 

18 Years Later...

Bedelia watched as her daughter emerged from the tree line at a quick pace before slowing down to a jog as she regained her breath. She was instantly attacked by a blur of fur that tackled her to the ground and began licking her face. Although Bedelia was not a dog person, she could not deny her daughter the joy of getting the puppy 2 years ago for her 16th birthday. She had named the German Shepard Jethro and trained him well. He took commands in French and never left her side unless she ordered him to stay, and he would protect Bedelia as well whenever there were visitors.

Smiling at her daughter, Bedelia went to the front door as she heard a knock from that direction. As she approached the door, she straightened out her skirt and looked in the mirror once to check her appearance. Everything in order, she opened the door only to stop dead in her tracks. It had been more than 18 years since she had seen him, and she could have sworn he was dead. He looked the same as he did when they were in Florence, but she could see something in his eyes that was different. He had changed somehow, and she hoped that meant he was not here to finish her off.

"Hannibal," she whispered, "I thought you were...dead."

"I survived," he said simply, "I cannot say the same of Will Graham, however."

She could tell by the pain in his eyes and voice that he was not lying. Will Graham and Jack Crawford were confirmed as dead then. Part of her wished that Hannibal had not survived, but the longing that she felt whenever she saw him in their daughter made her rejoice inside. As she thought about their daughter out back, she began to panic. Would he kill them both now? Would he want a daughter? All of these questions came rushing to the forefront of her mind as she heard the bark of a dog. She looks down just in time to see Jethro jump in front of her and start growling at Hannibal. He seemed surprised by the presence of the animal, but the young woman yelling in French at the dog surprised him more. She looked so much like Bedelia.

"Jethro! Arrêtez!" she said in perfect French before coming to stand beside her mother, "I'm sorry. He took off this way before I could catch him. He must have smelt our guest."

Bedelia just smiled before petting Jethro's head and turning to gaze towards Hannibal. He was looking at their daughter with curiosity.

"I didn't realize you had a family now, Bedelia. I apologize for intruding," he said without taking his eyes off of Bedelia's daughter, "I'll leave now so your husband does not think ill of this meeting."

As he turned to leave, he heard an audible sigh from the young woman, "Why is it that everyone assumes that my mother is married just because she has a child? Or was that an attempt at subtly asking whether or not my mother is romantically available, because that is even worse. I figured you would have been different. You seem to be reasonably intelligent, and yet you fell into the same idiotic routine of assumptions."

Hannibal turned to face Bedelia, who had fear reflected in her eyes. He knew that she now expected him to lash out and kill, but he wouldn't. Bedelia was all he had left in this world and he would not hurt her or her daughter. There was also something familiar in the girl's appearance that made him extremely curious. 

He looked at the young lady before speaking, "You are correct. That was quite rude and naive of me to assume such a thing. I have been away for a while and seem to have lost my touch."

He smiled at her and waited for a reaction. Something flashed behind her eyes that he could not place.

"How long?" She asked.

"A little more than 18 years," he supplied.

She seemed to understand something but refused to look at her worried mother, "So you must be Dr. Hannibal Lecter. My mother spoke of you often when I was younger."

"I am," he answered cautiously, "what has she told you?"

"She spoke about your relationship and how you were the one who saved her from a previous patient. She told me a bit about Florence and how much she enjoyed it."

Hannibal could see that Bedelia was not happy with this information getting out.

"Is that all?" he probed further.

"Yes, but I am not a stranger to the news and what they say you did."

So she knew about his hobby, but she was not scared in the least.

"You are not frightened?"

"Why would I be?"

"You know of my particular tastes...and yet you stand here without a single fear of what I might do?" Hannibal glanced at Bedelia, who only shook her head.

"Why should I fear the man that seems to care deeply for my mother and if my observations are correct, may even be my father?" She looked at both of her parents and watched as they each stared at her in shock. 

Bedelia could not believe that she came right out and put her on the spot. Of course she would have figured it out the moment she saw him, but she expected her daughter to know not to say that, but what did she say about Hannibal caring for her.

"I think you are the one making dangerous and misguided assumptions, my dear," Hannibal said, brilliantly hiding his shock.

"Oh, if only you knew me well enough to know that nobody can hide anything from me," she replied, "I'm going to freshen up since I have yet to do so after my run. I'll be back soon."

As she went up the stairs, Hannibal turned to Bedelia.

"Is what she said true?" he asked, "Am I her father?"

"Yes," Bedelia gasped out with tears in her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you were already getting reckless and I knew that if you had a child around, it would only distract you more. They were already closing in on us and you couldn't afford any more mistakes or distractions."

He nodded after some time before reaching for her hand. 

"What is her name?" 

"Gillian Du Maurier," she said simply, "I wanted something that would fit in here and something unique in spelling."

"I love it," he nodded, "I think it suits her well. Now what was she talking about when she said 'nobody can hide anything form me'?"

Bedelia chuckled, "Gillian has a talent for being able to tell if somebody is lying or how they are feeling just by studying their body language and facial expressions. It's always impossible to win at poker with her in the room."

Hannibal looked up towards the stairs. He could not wait to get to know his daughter and figure out just how smart she was. If she really was their child, they were bound to be in some trouble with her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannibal realizes that his daughter is not weak.

Gillian stood in front her mirror and carefully combed her long blonde hair. Every now and then the light would catch it just right and you would swear that she had streaks of brown and red in it as well. Her hair was definitely her mothers, as were her bright blue eyes, but her chin was absolutely that of her father...of Hannibal Lecter. 

He was definitely an interesting man. When Jethro had growled at him he was surprised but not scared. When he saw her he knew that she was Bedelia's daughter, and although there was a fondness in his gaze, there was also anger. Anger at the thought that somebody else had touched Bedelia and had made a child with her. There was also a lot of love and affection in his gaze when he turned back to Bedelia, and that was when Gillian knew. 

The timing was always right, and she knew that she was conceived in Florence or right after her mother returned to the states. Bedelia had spoken about the man that she had fallen for and how Gillian was born of a love that would never be known, but that was the most cherished love of all she used to say. Bedelia would talk about how her father was a powerful and intelligent man, who was willing to let her go when he was in danger. It didn't take Gillian long to put all of the pieces together.

She took one last look into the mirror and straightened her skirt before grabbing her phone off her desk. She looked at the sketched landscape of Florence that rested in its frame and smiled. Maybe she could get the artist to sketch her a few new ones and she could decorate her walls with them. Both Hannibal and Bedelia were comfortably chatting in the sitting room by the time Gillian joined them. Jethro was instantly at her side as she sat down in one of the chairs across from Hannibal and next to her mother. 

"Your dog is very well trained," Hannibal commented, trying to start a conversation.

He seemed hesitant and unsure about what to say, which Gillian could tell he was not used to. He exuded confidence, but at this very moment, he was lost.

"Thank you," Gillian responded while gently caressing Jethro's head, "I've been working with him since he was only a few months old."

"The first couple of weeks were not pretty," Bedelia looked towards her daughter with a small smile, "but he was adorable and Gillian quickly got him house trained."

Hannibal was intrigued and curious, and Gillian decided to throw him a bone.

"My mother's lifestyle has changed quite a bit since you last saw her," she supplied.

He did well hiding his shock before responding, "When I knew your mother, she would hardly leave her house. Even in Florence, she was reserved but that only lent itself to her powerful image."

"I no longer had a reason to hide away," Bedelia said, "And I had an even more compelling reason to embrace the world again."

Gillian never took her eyes off of Hannibal as he tensed at her mother's comment, "Why does that anger you?" she asked Hannibal.

Hannibal ignored Gillian and straightened up in his chair.

"You were the reason for that confinement, Bedelia," he spoke harshly, "You asked for my help-"

"You put me into that situation," Bedelia started to tense up.

"You pushed your patient too far," Hannibal replied smoothly.

"OUR patient was already coming unhinged when you referred him to me," Bedelia hissed.

"But you killed him," Hannibal finished.

There was a tension in the room that was making even Jethro begin to whimper, and Gillian had had enough.

"I think it would be best if you left, Dr. Lecter," she stood with Jethro at her side.

"We are not finished without conversation," Hannibal glared down at his daughter.

"Trust me," Gillian inched closer never breaking eye contact, "You are done for today."

"This is a conversation that needs to happen between your mother and me," he stated firmly.

"It will have to wait for another time," Gillian replied.

Hannibal seemed to think about leaving before he saw Bedelia out of the corner of his eye. He needed to talk to her, and their daughter was not helping him.

"I know that this has not been the most ideal of meetings, but as your father, I-" 

"That is where I need to stop you, Dr. Lecter," Gillian said icily, "You may have fathered me, but at this point you are simply a glorified sperm donor. If you want me to treat you with respect then you need to prove to me that you are not here to hurt my mother or me. I do not care if you two have something that you need to come to terms with. That can be done further down the road after you have made up for the 18 years of absence. The Bedelia that you knew is gone. You need to accept that and learn to appreciate who she is now and get to know the new her. If that is not even feasible in your mind then you do not need to come back."

Hannibal was taken aback by the blunt nature of her comments, and the shock on Bedelia's face told him she was too. 

"If you are willing to put away your pride and control for a while, you are welcome to come back tomorrow at 2. If not, then this is goodbye." Gillian turned around and led her mother into the kitchen.

Hannibal was left standing alone in the sitting room reflecting back on his choices. He did love Bedelia, and as much as he was hesitant to admit it, he did want to be a part of that young woman's life. Without another sound, Hannibal showed himself out and began thinking about ways to redeem himself. He had to win over Bedelia and his daughter. 

In the kitchen, Bedelia silently watch her daughter move about making lunch. Although she had seen Gillian's temper rear its ugly head when she was younger, this was a new kind of anger. There was an element to her anger that was a reflection of Hannibal, and the protectiveness that was just displayed was definitely inherited from her father. Her composure surpassed that of both herself and Hannibal, and Hannibal was going to have trouble adjusting to that. Bedelia has had 18 years to adjust to the stubborn and strong young woman, but Hannibal now had to decide if he wanted to brave those conditions. 

"I apologize if you wanted him to stay longer," Gillian said as she continued to make their lunch, "I know that you care for him, but I know how dangerous he is. I can see it in his eyes."

"No, I think it was time that he left," Bedelia came up behind her daughter and wrapped her arms around her child, "He is dangerous, but he will not hurt you. I won't let him."

Gillian giggled, "First off, he won't hurt you either. He loves you. Second, shouldn't the one who is a black belt and takes kick boxing be saying that?"

Bedelia laughed, "That's true, but you are my daughter and I will always protect you...even from the glorified sperm donor."

Gillian rolled her eyes, "I meant that and I am actually proud of that response. I like to throw people off and watch how they react. He is good at compartmentalizing his emotions and reactions."

"But not good enough to fool you," Bedelia smiled.

"Well, nobody id that good," Gillian smirked.

As they ate their lunch, Bedelia told Gillian about the patient that Hannibal had referred to her and the story of their relationship and escape to Florence. As Gillian learned about her father, she also learned a lot about her mother. She watched as her eyes lit up as the memories of Florence came flooding back. Her mother was in love, but she didn't know it.


End file.
